Food That Age You

Food that age us include :
- Carbonated drinks
- Sausages
- Coffee
- Potato Chips and Fries
- Sugary Pastries
- Red Meat
- White Rice and White Bread

Caffeine which is present in coffee will cause stress hormones to shoot up and stay at abnormally high level for hours after consumption.

The powerful stress hormone "cortisol" contributes to premature aging and excessive caffeine is also dehydrating. As what I found out from a beautician in Aster Spring, you need to compensate with 3 glasses of water for each cup of tea or coffee drank.

Sugary pastries which are often made with hydrogenated oils contain trans-fat. Combination of sugar and trans-fat is bad news for liver and pancreas resulting in overworking our organs, leaving us more exposed to free radicals.

Free radicals caused by chemical reactions in our body require antioxidants to fight them, else we may age faster.

Sugar triggers a natural process called glycation, which is the same chemical reaction that turns brown when you cook it. The sugars bind with tissues to form harmful molecules, called advanced glycation end products (ironically known as AGEs), which damage elastin and collagen -- two substances your skin needs to stay supple and elastic. AGEs also damage the kidneys, brain and other essential organs.

Other foods with a high glycemic index, like white bread, pasta and potatoes also cause the formation of AGEs, because they are quickly converted to sugar in the bloodstream. To make matters worse, AGEs also make the skin more susceptible to sun damage, which in turn accelerates the glycation process.

Food that keep us young include :
- Green Tea
- Tomatoes
- Nuts and Seeds
- Yoghurt
- Salmon and other oily fish
- Berries
- Olive Oil

Green tea packaged in tea bags have gone through numerous processes destroying its goodness, therefore its recommended to drink loose leaf green tea.

Tomatoes contains
- lycopene : helps to reduce wrinkles and fine lines
- Vitamin C : helps to strengthen collagen fibres

Nuts and seeds with great sources of Vitamin E and Omega 6 fatty acids helps to keep skin elastic and reduce signs of aging.

[ Recommended Reading :
8 Anti-aging Superfood To Look Younger
18 Health Food For Beauty
How To Get Rid Of Neck Wrinkles
Culprits Of Premature Aging
Hacks To Prevent Premature Aging ]

Credits to Leslie Baumann, M.D